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romancemoviefanatic
My reviews are personal, honest, short and sweet. My focus is primarily on Hallmark, GAC Family, Lifetime and UPtv movies.
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Trading Christmas (2010)
Funny and engaging story
So with the Christmas season now behind us I thought I would watch an older movie. One I have seen before but not for quite some time. Boy was this a good decision. This movie was engaging from beginning to end. I didn't touch my phone once during the whole movie so that tells me alot.
Emily (Ford) is a widow who's college aged daughter has decided not to come home for Christmas. Emily is a traditionalist and decides that she will do a house swap as she is sure her daughter would love to see her. Emily trades with a writer Charles (Cavanagh) who has a deadline and wants to get out of town. Emily heads to Boston only to find out her daughter isn't there at all and is in Arizona with her boyfriend. She bumps into Charles's workaholic brother Ray (Bellows) and ends up getting to know him. Meanwhile Emily's friend Faith (Miller) shows up unexpectedly to visit Faith who isn't there and spends some quality time with grumpy Charles.
This movie is engaging. It has so many moving parts but that doesn't distract at all from the overall movie. It just makes it more interesting. You have two main plots and then some smaller plot lines. What is particularly well done is the development of some of these characters. In particular you have Emily (Ford) struggling with her ability to let go over the traditions she held with her deceased husband. Her struggle to move forward and carry on without him. Faith Ford was exceptional and the growth from beginning to the end where she finally does something for herself is great.
The chemistry between both couples was fantastic. I admit that Gil Bellows came across as creepy at first but he began to grow on me. By the end the chemistry he had with Ford was good. As for Cavanagh and Miller, they were hilarious. They had a fun banter for alot of the movie. Yes they didn't end up together until almost the very end but I enjoyed them and watching the progression of their interest for each other. The scene where he runs into the bus to ask her to stay was amazing.
One of the highlights for me was Tom Cavanagh. Tom for me will always be the Labatt Blue commercial guy! A fellow Canadian. Admittedly when I first saw him I said "Oh No" as a nod to the O'Henry commercial. I just like this guy.
And in true fashion he didn't disappoint in this movie either. He was beyond grumpy at the beginning of this movie. His first interaction when the children came to see him was so funny. His comedic acting came in handy in this role and he was probably my favourite thing about this movie. OK maybe one of my favourites because I could say the exact same thing about Gabrielle Miller. Again another Canadian who I grew up watching on only one of the best comedy sitcoms "Corner Gas." She too was quick, funny and had such a great interaction and relationship with Cavanagh on screen.
This movie kept me engaged the whole time. Definitely recommended and will watch again.
Christmas Movie Magic (2021)
New Hollywood meets old Hollywood
New Hollywood meets old Hollywood in this movie. Bravo. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Especially the last 10 minutes of it!
Alli is a newspaper journalist who is looking for a winning article to land a promotion. While researching an old movie and its origin, Alli finds a love letter and she embarks on a mission to find out who was the real love that inspired the song in the movie. It also happens to be the anniversary of the movie so the grandson of the owner of the theatre where the movie premiered helps her investigate the mystery, as well as makes plans to celebrate the movie in hopes of resurrecting some life into the old theatre and the town.
This movie was so different then your typical Hallmark/Lifetime movie. It combined new Hollywood with old Hollywood and did it so well. The first 5 minutes of the story, and in particular the first introduction of Alli (Deveaux) is brutal, but if you can get through that then you will embark on an amazing journey. True there are some other things you need to look past, like some mediocre acting, but overall this movie will not disappoint you. The plot is so unique and they intertwine present day with the 50s so well, even in the last scene which amazed me. The movie gave me old Hollywood vibes and I loved it. True the mystery was obvious to me quite early on but that didn't bother me.
Chemistry between Seely and Deveaux was pretty good albeit some scenes seemed a bit forced but I kind of pushed that aside once they entered the last 10-15 minutes of the movie. It was then that they shined and did what they did best. Seeley just busted out in song and for the next 10 minutes you were immersed in a singing/dancing routine reminiscent of 50s complete with costuming. Honestly this is where Drew Seeley shined for me as he was in his element. He looked like he was born to live in the 50s. He seemed at home in the suit and hat, dancing and signing like Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain. This 10-15 minute escape really made this movie spectacular. In fact they could have honestly just done more of these segments, made the entire movie a musical and I would have probably made this a 10 star movie.
Honestly this movie is worth the watch. Even if you just watched the last 10-15 minutes of the movie you won't be disappointed. I know I've watched that at least 20 times by now.
Where Your Heart Belongs (2022)
Unlikable main character and mediocre movie
Happy New Year everyone! With the ringing in of 2022 Hallmark is gifting us with weekly "New Year, New Movies" on their channel. January 1 gave us a new Jen Lilley and Christopher Russell movie - Where Your Heart Belongs. So I was really looking forward to this new movie as I am a huge fan of both Christopher Russell and Jen Lilley. I enjoyed them in their other movie Love Unleashed and was excited to see what they had in store for us this time. Well...it really didn't do as much as I was hoping for. It was just a mediocre movie. It was worth the watch but I definitely wouldn't watch it again.
Mack (Lilley) is a marketing executive who is struggling to keep clients as she isn't up-to-date with marketing in the digital world. Her best friend Olivia (Morrison) announces that she and her fiance have decided to get married in 2 weeks in their hometown and asks Mack to help. Mack agrees and heads home to her father, her old stomping ground and to her family's struggling maple syrup farm. Olivia hasn't been home since her mom died 10 years ago and finds out that an old friend Dylan (Russell) is now helping her dad and the farm. Dylan just happens to be best friends with the groom and Mack and Dylan find themselves thrown together to do some wedding planning. What follows is your typical Hallmark story line. City girl goes home and stumbles across an old beau. They don't like each other, grow to like each other, city girl blows an "issue" way out of proportion, reconciles with old flame and decides to leave city life for her new beau.
So first let me start off by saying that there were three things in this movie that kept me watching. The first two were Jill Morrison and Christopher Russell. Jill Morrison played Olivia, the bride and was wonderful. I enjoyed every minute she was on screen. She was lovable, funny, and I just wanted her as my best friend. I really liked her in this role. Her scenes when trying on the couture wedding dresses was brilliant. And Christopher Russell...well he could pull weeds and I would watch him. He was charming, good looking, devoted and a solid lead. Yes he was a bit of a dud at times but I overlooked that as he was just fun to watch.
The third appeal of the movie was the chemistry between Lilley and Russell was good. They had some really sweet moments that were cute, quick, and lovable. I thought they were really cute during the towel flicking sequence and the dance number at the end was quite nice. Lilley and Russell work well together and they achieved that again with this movie albeit the story line and writing of the movie was a lot weaker then their other movie. They still had chemistry and were enjoyable to watch.
Let's move on to the one thing that I didn't like in this movie.... Jen Lilley's character and at time even her! I hate saying this as I am usually a Jen Lilley fan but not in this movie. From the beginning of this movie Mack was so involved in her business and herself, she came across as one of the most selfish people who wouldn't make a great friend. Not sure why Olivia even gave her the time of day. I mean Olivia had to text her when she was sitting at the same table as her to gain any sort of attention and she still asked her to help with the wedding. Seriously? And the way Mack just steamrolled Olivia's wedding plans. The girl wanted simple and charming like she was. Instead Mack just comes in and gives over the top and awful. Honestly if my maid of honour would have rolled in those dresses and said I looked amazing in something I clearly didn't, she wouldn't be my maid of honour for long. The funny thing is though, then she would be the best maid of honour and throw her a very thoughtful bridal shower. She was all over the place and her friend was way to understanding and lenient. Not to mention Mack's hot and cold with Dylan. What was that about? When she went to the bank and blew everything way out of proportion instead of just asking him to explain, you just wanted Dylan to run the other way. Don't think I would have been so forgiving like he was at the wedding after she treated him like garbage. Jen Lilley was endearing at times and then other times seemed apathetic. Kind of like she didn't know what she was doing or where she was.
Anyway a lukewarm start to Hallmark 2022 movies. Hopefully things will look up from here.
Mistletoe Mixup (2021)
Brotherly antics and laughs
I didn't have high hopes when I realized the cast was primarily made up of every Lawrence family member. Yup you heard me. The Lawrence brothers (Joey, Matthew and Andrew) all star in this along side their mother Donna Lawrence. It was a real family affair but let me tell you, boy did I laugh. It's exactly what I needed to watch. I mean I had numerous out loud, tears streaming down my face laughing moments. It was funny...and not in a bad way. A good way...trust me.
Holly (Ryan) is a workaholic who doesn't have time for the holidays. She is out with her friend and stumbles across a young girl who tells her to make a wish. Holly wishes that she would meet Mr. Right. Her friend doesn't hear her wish so she wishes to meet Mr. Right again. The next scene has Holly meeting Tom Wright (Joey) and he grabs her number. On her way home she meets Austin and ends up spending about 5 hours with him. Long story short, she believes Austin ghosts her when he doesn't return her texts and goes on a date with Tom. Tom invites her to his cabin with his family and when she goes up there she realizes that Tom and Austin are brothers! What follows is a hilarious movie of two brothers fighting for the girl but only one will win her heart.
The Lawrence brothers were just great in this movie. They had a chance just to be brothers and it really showed on screen. The banter, fights and brotherly competitions were what made this movie for me. Andrew Lawrence (Seth) didn't have a large role however when he was on screen boy did he deliver. I absolutely loved his character and he had me laughing alot. That scene when he was chewing on a twizzler was just so funny. The interaction between all three of them bickering about the Twizzler had me laughing hard. I can't imagine how much fun the three of them would have had doing a scene like that together. I actually wonder how much of their antics were scripted and how much were just ad lib.
Matthew Lawrence was lovable and I thought he was so genuine and just an overall nice guy. It doesn't hurt that he is also easy on the eyes. I found his relationship with Holly the most genuine and playful right from the start. They had such chemistry together.
Joey played a cocky older brother, which he does well. But can we talk about his suits? Can't you get a suit that fits this guy properly? They were so tight that I thought the buttons and seams were going to bust off when he walked or sat down. And I hate to say this but the guy needs to do something different with his hair and eyebrows. At 45 neither suit him and it looks like he is just trying to hard to be cool at this point.
Donna Lawrence, who is the mother of the Lawrence brothers, played their grandmother in this movie. Let me tell you, I did not enjoy her at all. I found her character annoying, over the top, and it just wasn't suited for her at all. I would have liked to see someone entirely different in the role.
The overall story was super slow for the first 30 minutes but if you stick through it, the next hour just blows by with humour, competition and brother antics. It was a good plot that was fun and engaging. I definitely recommend this if you need a laugh. Prepare yourself for some karaoke fun. I am giggling right now just writing about it.
You, Me & the Christmas Trees (2021)
A Refreshing Change for Hallmark
Overall You, Me & The Christmas Trees was a solid start to Hallmark's 2021 Countdown to Christmas lineup. I wasn't quite sure how the Christmas movie season would fare considering how dismal the Fall movie lineup was this year, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Danica McKellar and Benjamin Ayres were fantastic in their lead roles and seemed so comfortable on screen together. They had an online presence that sold the movie for me. Their chemistry was apparent right from the beginning of the movie which was carried all the way through to the ending. Danica McKellar had a nervous awkwardness to her character which was relevant and made the character of Olivia more relatable.
I admit I had a couple of laugh out loud moments as this movie did offer some elements of good humour. Without giving up too much of the movie, when Olivia and Jack were out cutting down one of the trees for future observation and they run into the local law enforcement and offer an excuse of being out there for "scientific research," the comment of " is that what they are calling it nowadays" did provide me with some enjoyment. Not to mention when Olivia and Jack get excited after they realize that her compound may have solved the tree problem and they hug each other...the awkwardness of Danica McKellar's character and then the awkward high ten was absolutely hilarious.
The supporting cast was primarily good however I did find the character played by Jason Hervey to be a bit over the top. I understand that his role was to be the town jerk however I found the delivery of his lines and mannerisms to be a bit too over acted. I didn't really buy into his character at all. His character seemed out of place in the quaint little town.
This movie is definitely a good start to the season and I am excited to see what is next in store for Hallmark. Would I watch this movie again? You bet. It was certainly entertaining, believable and offered a different type of story line to your typical Hallmark movie. Yes it did have the regular Hallmark plot lines -- strong woman comes to save the day, falls in love with the town eligible bachelor, enter some last minute issue to break them apart, only to resolve and get together with a couple of mins left in the movie. Regardless of the typical plot line, the idea that she was there to find out what happened to the trees I found particularly interesting and unique. It wasn't your standard movie star, baker, long lost loves plot and this was a refreshing change.
'Tis the Season to be Merry (2021)
'Tis the Season for a great movie!
Well, well, well...it took the entire Hallmark Christmas movie season but Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a 10 star entry! The very last movie on Christmas Countdown 2021 and boy did we go out with a bang.
Merry (Cook) is a social media love and relationship expert trying to release a rules for love book. When her publisher finds out that Merry's actually single and her "boyfriend" noted in the book is not real, she decides to take a break in Vermont with her editor best friend. When she arrives she takes a little snooze and while sleeping "bumps" into a towel wearing Adam (Van Winkle), her friends' hot brother. What follows is a funny, electric story of Merry trying to rewrite her book of rules while using her own experiences for real this time.
The plot wasn't original by any means but the story, writing and acting more than made up for this fact. What was unique was that there were actually 3 love stories going on in this movie at the same time. I liked each one of these stories and the progression of each was unique and fun to watch. It was a nice change and was very well written and performed.
The chemistry between Rachel Leigh Cook (Merry) and Travis Van Winkle (Adam) was 🔥 🔥 🔥. This movie has to be one of the best pairings this season. Maybe even better than the Tyler Hynes/Bethany Joy Lenz pairing in "Unexpected Christmas." Cook and Van Winkle were electric. They were so comfortable and amazing on screen together it was so enjoyable to watch. They had banter, tension, humour, sparks, electricity...they had it all. I absolutely loved every second of them together. Right up to the kissing scene they had such a dynamic. Even after they had their declaration of love and kiss, they both still had to offer a cute little exchange. It was amazing.
Can we talk about Van Winkle in this movie? When I first saw the preview and saw his messy hair I was like...um no. But let me tell you within 10 minutes of watching this movie the guy with messy long hair was wandering around a room in only a bath towel. OK Hallmark.... SOLD. I love the hair. He can keep it. 😉That aside, this role was made for Travis Van Winkle. He was quick, witty, smooth...he was everything. The same can be said for Rachel Leigh Cook. I have to admit that I like her in general and she was no different here. She's an A+ actress and has such a sweet innocence about her. It's that same innocence that can also deliver quick one liners, gestures and jabs. Loved her.
Overall this movie was solid. It's is definitely one that will added into rotation to watch and watch again. In fact I already did watch it again. What a great way to end the Countdown to Christmas 2021 season. This is definitely a must see movie.